Morris tribune., 1887-01-26
Americans Abroad.

A writer IN the Cincinnati CONNER
cial Gazette tells OF this adventure in
Scotland: CATER nice luncheon at
the Abbey Gate Hotel, Melrose, my
friend and l, having returned from the
ruins, stood talking near the hotel
door when two young fellows, well
dressed and we'll enough locking, came
up and accosted us. They asked ii
we were Americans. Yes. we were.
They thought so-had seed our names
on the hotel register.
Were we gong to Abbottsford?
We had just been speaking of it.
1es, we were going.
'Well, we are Americans Also" re.
piled the taller of the two young fel,
lows, land, as the little carriages over
there" pointing to them, "carry four
we thought we'd propose-Jlm
and me-to ask if you and your
friend" addressing me as the elder,
twill mind taking two of the seats,
and, you see, Jim and me-won't we,
Jimmie?- will take the other two.
It'll save the odd charge for both
parties, you see"
After going over and looking at the
vehicle, drawn by one big strapping
horse, which had evidently been at
Abbottsford before, because his canny
Scot of a driver told us all about it,
we agreed to make the trip with the
tall young man and his companion,
James.
They surprised us very much by
asking me just as We settled ourselves
into the seats, "who this Mr.. Scott
was who used to live atthis place they
cal! Aonotlsiord?" BY Jove! | was
so taken aback that looked the tall
young fellow full in the eyes, thinking
he was trying to play the quiz game
on me. Not bit of it. He was just
as honest as that Scotch horse trot-
ting along in front of us. 1t seemed
that he was aware that the former
owner of world famous Abbottsford
had been man eminent for something,
but he had not the remotest idea
what it was. felt provoked to see
the stald young Scotchman turn
around and grin at me as my friend
American tourist all that Sir Walter
had done, and then he wanted to
know if he could get his poems or
''story" books in Edinburgh, so as to
take them back home with him TO Hi
nois. Actual fact, assure you. He
was assured that the works OF Scott
could be bought at any bookstore in
the United States-or, "the States"
as people say over there-but he SEEM
ed to have dark doubts as to the
genuineness of the article if not
purchased IN Scotland in the original
package. 1t appeared by further talk,
that he and his chum Jim had been
sent over by the old folks to buy
stock, and were on their way
to France to look at some
Norman stations, to be bargained
for and shipped to Illinois. How
they came to get into the land of Scots
l have forgotten. We had noticed
them at the abbey ruins, going up to
get guide book. The tall one told
me that he always made it a point to
buy the guide book at all places they
visited, but he never read them on the
spot. What did he do with them?
Oh, bless you. he packed them all care
fully away in his valise, and when he
returned to his native village he was
to get them out and then and there
read them all over at his leisure.
What truly remarkable young man
that remarkable young man from
Illinois was. And, oh! the questions
that he asked of the guide who took
us through the halls and rooms of
If those two fellows
travelled all about Scotland and Eng
land, and the people who came in con-
tract with them never had CHANGED to
meet any other Americans, just fancy
what an opinion they must have form
ed of us. And to think that there are
so many of our countrymen, we'll edu-
Gated, cultivated young men, too,
who can never get to Europe on &C
count of their lack of means, while just |
such chumps as these 60 over and air
their ignorance to disgrace us.